Family and friends gathered at Ward Villas on Nov. 29 to celebrate the 103rd birthday of the Rev. Arthur Fudge, who was born Nov. 30, 1913.
Looking handsome in his suit and hat, Fudge warmly greeted each guest, received hugs from visitors and posed for countless photos.
Passing the century mark by three years is no surprise to Fudge, who served 35 years as pastor of Angels Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles before retiring. He gives all credit to God for allowing him to reach this age.
“I feel fine. The Lord has blessed me see 103. The Lord helped me to make it, coming to where I am,” he said as he went on explain the secret to his long life.
“Living right, doing right, doing the best you can. It’s a beautiful thing to live right. I haven’t been perfect. I’ve made some mistakes, but I found out that the Lord will let you live through them and be blessed,” said the pastor.
In fact, God blessed Fudge to preach on Nov. 27 at Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church as to prepare for his sermon, he shared, “I went to bed meditating with the Lord and inquiring of God on what’s the best thing to say. I’m asking God for His judgment in His Word for the best things to say to help others.”
Helping others and doing right has been a lifelong trait of the Rev. Fudge since he was a youngster growing up in Louisiana. He relocated to Los Angeles in 1942 and soon accepted the call to preach the Gospel, fulfilling a prediction his mother made about him when he was a child. And all during his years as an active pastor, he looked for opportunities to assist his members and everyone he could.
“You meet people and you help people if you can. All of us wouldn’t be here if we were not helped by the Lord,” said Fudge. “That’s what the Gospel is about – to help others.”
Fudge and his wife, Flora, married in 1972. Their blended family has 13 children between them. Flora said they met when he was a guest preacher at her church.
“He gave me his card and asked me to call him. When I called, he asked for a date and we went to dinner,” recalled Flora, “and we’ve been together every since!”